


Tricks and Traps

by KPOPTrashLord-007 (TrashLord_007)



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, EXOLSSecretSanta20, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Heavy Petting, Horror Elements, Implied Sexual Content, Mer AU, Merfolk AU, Merman Suho, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Secret Santa Fic, Suggestive Themes, but not fully explored, dark to fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28320672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashLord_007/pseuds/KPOPTrashLord-007
Summary: When your dreams become consumed by a mysterious stranger, you go through great lengths to track him down, even going as far as following him out to sea. Coming face to face with your mystery man, you find that not all is what it seems.~~~~~This is my Secret Santa gift for Jangmi for the EXOL Secret Santa 2020!
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	Tricks and Traps

**Author's Note:**

> It's dark at first but it fluffens right up! then it gets a little saucy, aye~  
> Mentions of suicide (offhandedly! Not angsty) but also character death... but not really. It's, like, a big misunderstanding, honestly.  
> The first half is very in my style and down my avenue. Y'know, horror stuff. The second half is soft.  
> The third half ;) is also down my avenue, ayeee~  
> It might be a little out of character but give me a break, pls

Under the soft waves and deep below the depths of the welcoming ocean, he called for you. His song, melodic and soothing, summoned you. Every ounce of your being gravitated toward him. There was darkness hidden behind his glowing smile and sparkling eyes as he beckoned you down but you ignored it, leaning over the edge of the boat in pursuit of his retreating figure. 

Warm water lapped at your fingertips as you broke the surface, your reflection rippling across the quiet sea. There was a soft breeze on the wind which did nothing to alleviate your discomfort for the air itself was hot and unpleasant. The midday sun beat down on you without remorse and you were beginning to feel its effects.

After many hours spent searching for your mystery man, your body ached and your skin wasn't faring much better. It was past the point that sunscreen could recover and far beyond any form of preventative measure. The damage was done and your skin cracked with the slightest movement. What you needed was to bath in aloe vera and guzzle down a few gallons of water. How you had let it get this bad was just another component of his mystery. 

Perhaps it was a trick, perhaps a trap. 

Endless water teased you. It rose and fell, gentle and slow. Each crest touched the side of the boat where your face rested, so close to your parched lips that you could almost taste it as you dangled from the edge. Straining your shoulder in an effort to reach just that much further into the dark depths to chase his shadow, you winced when you felt the bone pull too far from the socket, threatening to snap itself loose.

There was pain building within your body. Hard for it not to when your arms continued to chase after the man that plagued your dreams whilst your torso caught on the edge of the boat, holding resistant to the end. Metal dug into your skin and left dark, angry lacerations in its wake. 

Then there was the pain of his absence. 

Deep in your mind you knew better than to follow him but his allure wasn't natural. Days of research told you not to pursue him, that no one could escape his song, and yet here you were, too stubborn to let him go. Just the thought of missing his gorgeous and delicate features for a day pained you so much that when you considered the very high likelihood of never seeing him again, the agony was paralysing. As if a thousand pound chain connected you two, you couldn't bear to move unless you were moving toward him. 

You felt heavy. 

The sleeves of your shirt dragged you down. Water latched onto the material and increased its sheer weight, pulling you that much closer to the immeasurable depths. Waves rose to kiss your cheeks and tickle your ears but it brought no comfort, not when your mouth was submerged and your nostrils sucked up the salty water every couple of seconds as you struggled to breathe. 

They shouldn't have been so close. 

The waves, that was - they shouldn't have been so high. Given how soft the breeze was and the complete lack of turbulence on the sea, the waves shouldn't have been touching the side of your boat. It wasn't a large vessel (it was a mere dinghy that you were pushing beyond its capabilities) but it wasn't damn near surface level, either. There was no reason for the sea water to be inside your boat, trickling in with each wave and providing additional weight that only lowered the boat faster and faster toward the awaiting darkness. 

There was something much more nefarious at work here and you had a strong feeling you knew what, or rather _who_ it was. 

Grounding yourself back into the reality of your situation, the fog you hadn't realised was even clouding your mind dispersed. Everything felt that much clearer… and quieter. While you hadn't noticed before, you felt the distinct absence of his song within your mind. That soothing, sweet sound had lulled you into submission and dulled your senses, had left you vulnerable to him, to _this_ :

He was capsizing you. 

As if you had touched a piping hot stove, you yanked your hands back to your sides and whipped your head around in time to watch the sun disappear behind the hull of the starboard side, the opposite side from which you had been hanging over moments prior. You weren't given much time to think about it before water embraced you. 

You had fallen for his trick and now he had you trapped. 

It stung. 

The saltwater stung your eyes but you forced them open as you watched your tiny boat flip over. Floating below the surface, all you could do was stare in awe and terror. All your belongings sunk faster than you, disappearing into darkness. Your backpack of supplies, your paddles, the fishing spear you brought for defense rather than hunting - it was all gone, even your phone had slipped free from your pocket and fell heavy as a rock.

Nothing remained.

Nothing except the cold, dark depths.

Sunlight didn't dare come this deep, stopping inches above your paling face as you struggled to breathe. 

_Fuck_ , you couldn't breathe. 

It wasn't just from the lack of oxygen but from the freezing water itself - it gnawed at your face, chilling the muscles until they locked into place. Every feature from your agape mouth and your bewildered eyes to your near-lifeless limbs seemed cut from stone. 

The nerves fired pleas for your arms to claw and thrash and for your legs to scramble and yet there was no response. Your body was shutting down and you could do nothing except stare as he circled you, an apex predator waiting to collect his reward after a successful hunt. 

The further you descended, the lower the temperatures fell. You fought to remain conscious as your heart struggled to pump, the endless depth's grip on the organ icy and without remorse. Like a curse, the rest of your body began to follow suit and freeze under the water's touch. Bubbles broke past your lips as your final breath exited your body. They rose toward the light, abandoning you to your fate.

It was at that very moment that he decided to strike, though the grace of his movements were lost on you as your vision began to fail. Darkness leaked into your eyes from the bleak depths and all you could see was darkness served with a side of more darkness. The once majestic visage of his form was reduced to a spot that was a shade or two darker than the rest. 

The last thing you expected was to awaken. 

Opening your eyes, you took in your surroundings. Sunny, warm, and probably not the afterlife. Your personal paradise featured a coconut tree a few feet away that cast a shadow across your body, protecting you from the overactive sun. You wondered how long it would take for you to crawl to the tree, knock one free and break it open. Your throat was beyond parched and your head pounded from dehydration. 

Sand exfoliated the backside of your body against your wish as you pushed yourself backward, feet digging into the wet sand to propel you toward your goal. As your shirt caught on a small outcropped rock, sand slipped between the fabric and your back. It was gritty and coarse and _hot_ , but even so you would rather experience that fresh hell over the wet and sticky sand clinging between your toes and embedding under your nails as waves lapped at your feet. 

To add insult to injury, your paradise featured one last "treasure": your gorgeous mystery man, lying in the water just beyond your legs. His stunning, bright eyes landed on your shocked, gaping stare as he placed a small crab on your now still toe. A grin broke out across his face and you wanted to reciprocate it but fear welled within your gut. This man, your mystery man, was anything but a sweet gentleman. He was the predator that had lured you to sea and the last thing you wanted was to find any sort of joy in his presence.

Any kindness was a trick, or perhaps a trap.

Breaking his gaze away from your trembling lips, he beckoned another crab to your side before trailing a finger across your skin. His movement, as it always was in your dreams, was slow and sensual. Goosebumps erupted where his touch lingered before the crustacean followed. It crawled across your hot skin to join the many other crabs crowding your legs. 

"About time you woke up," he said offhandedly, his attention still on the small animals resting on your feet, calves and even as high as your thighs. 

"Wh- am I- what are you-" your stutters were cut short when you felt tiny pinchers dig into your flesh. "FUCK! Get them off me, God damn it! Fuck, what the fuck-"

"They're just pinching you so you know you're alive. You ought to thank them."

" _Thank them?_ I ought to have myself a seafood roast, that's what I ought to do!"

"I am thoroughly offended."

"Good! You should be! Who the hell even are you?"

"You don't recognise me?"

"Aside from being the asshole who killed me?"

Another series of pinches from his many clawed friends had you yelping as he spoke, "I didn't harm you. You're not dead, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Call off your goons!"

"Now tell me you recognise me."

"I don't."

"Don't lie. This face is unforgettable."

"I'm not, fish boy. I don't recognise you."

He scoffed. "I'm the man of your dreams."

"Are you serious right now? You're only in my dreams because I had the misfortune of hearing your song. You ought to keep that to yourself, by the way. It has a _serious_ effect on people. In my world, you'd be labelled a creep and carted off, mate."

"No, actually, it _doesn't_. _You're_ the weird one here."

Standing, you brushed off the sand from your backside and served him an eye roll that he may or may not have seen. You're unsure as you didn't want to make direct eye contact. There's a magnetism to him that you couldn't escape. It was your downfall once but you wouldn't be tricked twice. You wouldn't fall into the sweet honey trap that was his deep, beautiful brown eyes, and with any luck the wind would pick up and carry the sound of his angelic voice out to sea.

"If you don't mind, I'm going inland so I don't have to talk to you anymore. I'd rather die in peace."

"I'll just follow you."

Smirking, you turned your gaze downward. With a pointed stare and a flick of your wrist, you gestured to his iridescent tail. The scales shone bright through the clear water, reflecting the sun into a prism of colour scattered along the beach. Though his tail was quite beautiful (albeit quite odd), it also offered you an advantage: he was sea locked.

"Good luck."

"That's rude of you. I saved your life, you know?"

With a splash, he began to follow you to the best of his ability, which, given the circumstances, wasn't much. First he moved onto the beach, his strong tail propelling him forward, only to abandon the tactic due to fear of breaching himself, before choosing to circle the small stretch of water closest to your position. 

Exasperated, he called for you between irritated sighs and grumbles, his tone both commanding and gentle. It brought a quick smile to your face which in turn made your blood boil. You remedied your fleeting joy with a dismissive shout. "You can't take credit for saving me when you were the reason I needed to be saved!" 

"It was your own fault! I shouldn't have to move to a different ocean just because you're attracted to me!"

"Attracted to _you_? Not even in your wildest dreams!"

"It's not my dreams you have to worry about, lady! You're the one stalking me and obsessing over my kind and trying to kill yourself just because I'm not interested."

Stopping dead in your tracks, you felt your blood pressure start to rise. The audacity. _The audacity!_ He thought you were stalking _him_ , like you had some sort of choice when it came to whether or not his alluring song ensnared you? Then to claim that you tried to kill yourself when it was he who sunk your boat in the first place? Either he was crazy or a complete manipulator. 

Either way, you never ended an argument without getting the last word in.

"Okay Ariel, let's get some things straight here. I didn't 'stalk' you willingly, so it wasn't even stalking really, I mean, come on. You're practically a siren. I also-"

"I am not a siren at all, thank you ver-"

"I'm not done, buddy! Geez, will you let me get a word in edgewise?" He threw his hands up, his lips pressed into a firm line, and waited for you to continue. "I also needed to know how dangerous you were since you were literally plaguing my subconscious and creating endless nightmares that I couldn't escape from. I was getting no rest at all, which was-"

"From how your body is reacting, they were sexual dreams."

"Can you let me finish maybe? Just keep your mouth shut for like five seconds, please?"

"Sure," he drawled, a playful smile on his lips as he accosted you. His gaze trailed the full length of your body. You wondered if he was even listening now or if he was too intent on watching the way your body flared with embarrassment. 

"No rest! Because of you!" A mischievous twinkle accompanied his growing grin. "And- and… and I didn't try to kill myself! That's just hogwash. You're a liar and that's that."

"If I'm wrong, fine. All it means is that you're an idiot who capsized yourself instead."

"You tipped the boat!" With a raised voice and an accusatory finger, you stomped toward where he floated on the light waves, the sun basking him in golden light. Sloshing in the wet sand, you clicked your fingers a few times to regain his attention but he ignored you, falling onto his back instead. Water caressed his dark hair and you forgot your train of thought, too focused on how his locks straightened and darkened now that he was soaked. 

He looked soft.

Even after he had waited for you to regain consciousness on the beach less than an hour prior for God knows how long and his hair had dried (aside from the tips that had dipped under the water on occasion when he grew restless and chose to lay his chin in his palm while watching you like you were the most fascinating thing to ever happen to him), it looked like silk and you had to fight the urge to run your fingers through it then just as you were now. 

"I did no such thing."

"Oh really?" Incredulity spiked your tone as you snapped back to the current situation. "It just flipped itself, did it?"

"Well, yeah. When you put all your weight over the edge and then do nothing but watch once the water starts pouring in, boats tend to flip or sink."

A scoff-turned-splutter slipped through your open mouth. He wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either. It might not have been a lie but it wasn't a whole truth either. Your memories were intact and he wouldn't fool you so easily. You remembered how he had called to you and how you then became entranced by his song and how once the boat flipped and you had begun to drown, he had circled you and waited for the fight to leave your body before striking.

"I cannot believe this is the thanks I'm getting after saving your life. I was willing to ignore the spear gun you brought along to hunt me with in exchange for heartfelt gratitude and perhaps even a promise to leave me alone but instead you're painting me as the villain."

"You beckoned me into the depths and when I began to falter and fall for your seduction, you tipped the boat and let me drown and now you've kidnapped me and are trying to mind-fuck me but I won't be fucked, pal!"

"Maybe a good fucking is what you need, lady."

"How _dare_ you?!"

Without any real control over your body and a mind gone feral, you found yourself knee deep in warm water as the merman jumped back in shock. He disappeared under the waves only to reappear a few feet in front of you. Despite being shocked by your brazen approach, he found himself riding the gentle waves as they pushed him back to you. There was a fire in your eyes that he wanted to explore. It hadn't ebbed even as he found you half-drowned, the suffocating water having no effect on the burning passion ingrained within you. 

"Who are you to tell me that I need to get fucked? You need to get fucked! You don't know me! Are you trying to lure me back to sea again, huh, pal? Tell me more about how you were "saving" me, I just _love_ being lied to. Honestly, come on, tell me…" 

His eyes zeroed in on your lips. They didn't stop moving even after he zoned out, no longer interested in fighting with you. Now that you were close to him on his own turf, his senses were much more acute. Your beating pulse echoed through the water just as your racing heartbeat did. They felt so strong to him, as if you were surrounding him. He could taste your scent in the air, though your prolonged bath in the deep sea had dulled most of your natural scent. Instead your adrenaline hung in the air, contagious to the point that he felt his own body getting worked up. 

And he could smell your desire. 

A soft pheromone released through your skin like oil; you wouldn't have noticed it yourself but it was all he could focus on. The closer you stalked toward him, a ball of fury intent on releasing your pent up frustrations, the harder it became for him to ignore it. 

You wanted to fuck him. 

He wanted to fuck you. 

But you just wouldn't shut up and he was starting to get antsy. The water was up to your waist now and he felt teased by how your clothes clung to your body. Your shirt drifted with the water levels and he could see your tummy. He wanted to claim it as his own, to mark your bare skin with his teeth. Your pants fit you a tad better and remained stationary but your panties peaked through and he wondered if it would be easier to undress you now that you were wet or if he'd grow impatient and simply tear the clothes off instead. 

"Nothing to say now, huh? No 'witty' comeback?"

Not one for beating around the bush, he spoke plain and clear, "I want to fuck you."

It seemed you too were blunt and straightforward or you could at least appreciate the traits for as soon as you comprehended his words, you were on him faster than he could blink. Your fingers had entangled within his soft locks and he allowed himself to be pulled into your gravity, to be guided to your lips. It wasn't an activity he did for fun so he followed your lead, your experience commanding his actions and easing his nerves. With you at the helm, he melted into the kiss. 

Your nails dragged down his back and he flexed, the sensation new and exhilarating. He had never been this rough before and he had never done it with your kind before. Most merfolk believed that all life in the oceans were sacred and that everything was connected and predestined. Amongst his family, not a single member had ever lain with a human. It was taboo. They believed in soulmates and once they found their special person, they committed. 

He had never found his special person. 

Perhaps… until now. 

Your mouth was greedy, _hungry_ , and when he broke the kiss in order to speak, you just moved further down his body, devouring him with sloppy bites that were sure to leave a mark. "How did you hear my song? Your kind shouldn't be able to hear it."

"You're fucking loud and I can't sleep because your voice is so goddamn beautiful. It's what I imagine heaven sounds like." Ripping your shirt off over your head, you began to unbutton your pants before you frowned as you stared at his lower half. "How does this work?" 

"From what I understand, we are compatible. At least according to the tales told, you know, around the place."

"That's… great?"

"Should we… go a bit further out to sea?"

"Are you trying to lure me out again?"

"Well given my physiology, I can't really do much in shallow waters."

"Sounds like an excuse because you can't get it up," you jab, splashing about while you shimmied out of your pants. His eyes burned into your form, observing your every movement. The atmosphere had become awkward since you first started stripping and as he had no clothes himself to remove, you tried to strike up a conversation. "Speaking of excuses, tell me your side of the murder story?"

"Mur-? Oh, for the last time, I didn't kill you."

Wading behind him after he dove further out, you followed until the water reached your chest before slipping out of your undergarments. He looked more comfortable now that he could stand tall. A few feet ahead the water got much deeper and he didn't have to bend his body or curve his tail into an odd position any longer. You noticed his breathing slowed and his eyes relaxed. 

"Humour me."

"I avoid your kind for obvious reasons-" he gestured to his tail but your eyes caught on his firm chest and his toned, muscular abs hidden beneath the surface, "-but you wouldn't leave me alone. You always found me. It's like we're somehow magnetised. I tried to disappear without you noticing but I heard a splash and I felt… despair, so I searched the area around your boat. When I couldn't see you, I realised you had already sunk deep into the depths. You were hard to find but I followed my instinct and it led me to you. And so I saved you and brought you here and you proceeded to yell at me."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's throw a pity party for- oh, what's your name?"

"Junmyeon."

"Let's throw a pity party for Junmyeon. Woe is him, he was yelled out for a little while and he couldn't handle it. How will he ever recover?"

"I can think of one way."

"Oh _really_? Why don't you come over here and show me?"

You knew you were falling but to your delight, there were no tricks or traps in sight. 

**Author's Note:**

> I had no idea what I was doing! I had to read random fics to find out how to write a mer fic and then I had to look up how mer people have sex and this was all a completely new experience for me!!  
> I didn't complete the original piece I wanted to make so this is a quick fic I threw together the last three days. Look forward to that one one day.


End file.
